Cosmic Alliance
by NaruKamikiri
Summary: The prequel to "The Egyptian Adventure" written by dmg-duelist16. See ancient Egypt through the eyes of young priestess-in-training, Naru, as she seeks to uncover the truth about her family and protect Egypt from terrible dangers that have begun to arise.
1. Chapter 1: Births, Deaths, and Destinies

**Cosmic Alliance **

**(The Prequel of "Roads to Destiny")**

By: Jules

**Chapter 1: Births, Deaths, and Destinies**

'I always hear that life is too short, that we must take the bad parts of life with the good. I was told that our lives are like a written book. Much has been decided for us already and we have little control over it. Very few know what is in store for them in the start of these dark times. But every now and then, a miracle occurs. This miracle happens in the times of ancient Egypt where a war against darkness was at its peek.'

"She's beautiful. Much like her mother." Two figures stood in the room. On one side was a woman. She had long dark bluish purple hair that blew around her sapphire blue eyes. Small angel-like wings lay on her back elegantly. She wore a beautiful white gown with ribbons that went up and around her neck in a tiny bow. Her name was Priestess Illana. On the other side was a young man. He had dark brown hair and eyes with longer angelic wings on his back then his wife. He wore long white clothes covered by a purple robe that had a lining of gold. He went by the name of Priest Vazu. Both were crowded around a young infant that had just been born. It had been Vazu that spoke of the infant. Vazu wrapped his arms around Illana and gently embraced her. "It already shows that Naru is taking on your traits." He pointed out as a little ball of light lay in the palm of the child, Naru's hand as the two smiled.

Several weeks past since the Naru's birth. During that time, two of her parent's best friends visited often. Their names were Priest Zuberi and Priestess Safiya. Zuberi was a well respected priest of the great Pharaoh Akunumkanon. He had light brown hair and stern green eyes. Normally he wore a black robe with a red overcoat. His wife, Safiya, was a beautiful young priestess. She had long brown hair with silver highlights in it and soft blue eyes. She wore a long white dress with flowers all around it. Out of all of the Priestesses of the kingdom, Safiya was the most powerful, understanding, and kind of them all, and so she and Illana were best friends.

About a month after Naru's own birth, Zuberi and Safiya were expecting a child of their own. To take precautions in these dark times, the Pharaoh suggested to them that the child be born inside the Shadow Realm. It was a dark and mysterious place, but it was safe for the most part. Shortly after their departure, a pair of dark priests attacked the palace.

Screams were heard as blasts of magic rained down on the palace. Vazu ran through the halls to Illana who was holding Naru tightly in her arms across the gardens which had turned dark. Their world was covered in the blanket of the Shadow Realm. "Illana, get inside quickly! You need to keep watch over Naru!" He yelled. Illana turned at saw the Pharaoh on the grounds fighting the priests.

"Vazu, look!" Illana yelled and pointed to the Blue Eyes White Dragon. It was the protector of Zuberi and Safiya whom sat on its back. There in Safiya's arms lay the innocent baby girl. Juliana was the name Safiya had told Illana the baby would be named.

"Illana, wait here and stay out of sight no matter what happens!" He ran towards Zuberi and the Pharaoh. Zuberi was getting attacked by one of the dark priests and his shield was falling. 'C'mon… hold on just a little more, Zuberi. I'm coming.' But it was too late, the shield fell and the beam of dark energies hit Zuberi head on.

"ZUBERI!!" cried Safiya as the white dragon flew up to try to protect Safiya and the child.

"No!" yelled Vazu as Illana ran out into the open still holding Naru whom was looking on curiously while Vazu reached Zuberi at last. And then… time stopped. The dark priest turned and struck down the white dragon causing Safiya and her daughter to fall. It was as if a slow motion spell had been cast on the whole royal court. Safiya landed on the ground hard with Juliana on top of her. Safiya's hand loosened and fell to the ground. Neither Zuberi nor Safiya survived the attacks done to them.

"Safiya!" Illana ran towards her body as well as Juliana's but suddenly a blinding pink light shrouded the entire area as Illana stopped. Naru put her hand over her eyes to try to see past the light as it began to clear as someone yelled. The dark priests disappeared in a trace of black smoke. But they weren't the only ones that vanished. Safiya and Zuberi's daughter was no where to be found. Illana ran the rest of the way to Safiya's body and knelt down to her crying. "Safiya… my friend…" Naru reached out to try to take Safiya's hand but it was too late. Nothing she could do could save her parent's best friends and their bodies started to disappear in glimmering lights. A tear came to Naru's eyes as her hand went through Safiya's body as it finished disappearing with Zuberi's. "She… she can't be gone… No!" Naru crawled out of her arms to where Safiya lay moments before. Illana jumped up and ran to Vazu crying. "Vazu… no…"

Vazu wrapped his arms around Illana. "Juliana… the day of her birth being the day of her death… that's too young for her! No! I should have helped them!" Illana cried.

"There was nothing you could have done for them, Illana," Akunumkanon said to her. "You and Naru would have been killed too." He looked down in grief himself and muttered in Egyptian that they will never be forgotten and so shall it be done.

Six and a half years after that horrific day became longer and harder then ever. Illana and all those close to Zuberi and Safiya found it difficult to live on but they knew they must find a way. It would have been what the two wanted them to do. And so, Naru's parents had believed that it was time Naru had began her journey to become a future Priestess like her mother.

"I'm headed off to meet Pharaoh Akunumkanon this morning," Vazu announced while the three ate their breakfast that morning.

"Can I come with you daddy?" Naru asked him in a soft and cute voice.

"Not at this time, Naru," Illana said quickly. Naru sighed sadly and looked down at the breakfast quite disappointed. "It's not safe enough for you out there, yet."

"Aww! I never get to go anywhere!" Naru stood up and walked over to the balcony of her room that was connected to her parent's room. She gazed over the city below and all its wonders. Not far below were children running around outside. So much she had wished to be among them instead of remaining cooped up in either her or her parent's room. It was not the palace that concerned Illana of Naru being inside, but she knew her daughter well and she very well knew that the first chance she would get, Naru would run out of the palace and join the other children. She would be unprotected there and Illana would not afford giving Naru's protection up. You would certainly be able to say that Illana was almost over-protective of her daughter.

Illana looked at Naru and was about ready to walk to the balcony as well to pull her in, but Vazu held his hand in front of Illana to stop her. "Illana, she can't stay in here forever."

Illana shook her head. "Naru is just not ready for the outside world yet, Vazu. I couldn't bear what happened to Safiya and Zuberi's daughter to happen to ours."

Vazu placed his hands on Illana's shoulders as Illana held his hands close to her own. "A palace room is no place for a child. It's time she is given the chance to live free." Illana looked over her shoulder at Vazu pleading with him. He smiled and held her close. "Let her come with me. That way she will be safe, you can refrain yourself from being worried, and she can be like a normal child."

"Well… I do have to see Priestess Sehka today. And… it would be very lonely for her if we both left her…," Illana mumbled and sighed.

"Have no fear, Illana. It will be good for our daughter to meet Pharaoh Akunumkanon, Prince Atem, and Prince Sethos since in the future she shall be trained to protect them."

"Very well then. I shall be on my way to see Sehka, then. Keep her safe, Vazu." She muttered and walked out of the room and vanished from sight.

Vazu walked over to Naru and kneeled down to be her height smiling as he did so. "Naru, how would you like to meet a very good friend of mine?"


	2. Chapter 2: A Meeting with the Pharaoh

**Chapter 2: A Meeting with the Pharaoh **

Vazu emerged from the room an hour after Illana with Naru by his side and both walked along the halls towards the throne room. Naru wore an adorable teal dress with gold lining. She wore the best gold jewelry her parents bought her in hopes to make a good impression on the Pharaoh. Vazu glanced down at Naru. She was taking deep breaths and just staring into space in front of her. "Why are you nervous, Naru?"

"I'm not nervous." She looked into her father's eyes. "Well, maybe a little. I'm just afraid of this Pharaoh guy you and mommy keep talking about." A few kids ran passed and stopped to stare at her. Then they started pointing and laughing. Naru looked at the ground when they did this. You see, Naru has long teal hair and so she seemed very strange and unusual to other children and so, Naru was ashamed of it.

"Ignore the other children, Naru. They have yet to learn that it is what is on the inside of a person that makes them great."

"Why am I so different?" Her eyes started to water. They both stopped and Vazu kneeled down in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Difference makes someone special and more interesting." Naru starred at him in disbelief. Vazu sighed and looked around for a guard. "All right, for an example." He spots one. "See that guard over there?" Naru nodded. "Just imagine if everyone looked like him. It would be a very dull world. Your hair makes you unique and beautiful with the rest of your traits. Never let anyone tell you otherwise because they're wrong to laugh at your difference." Naru nodded again and Vazu stood and they continued to walk on.

Finally they came upon a large gold door with two guards standing next to it. The guards quickly glanced at Vazu and his daughter and moved aside. "The Pharaoh has been waiting for you, Priest Vazu," said one of them.

"Thank you, Lorek," Vazu said smiling and looked down at Naru. She was shaking. He gently took her hand and waited for a moment as the door opened for their arrival. Walking in, Naru gazed around the beautiful room. It was made out of pure gold just as the rest of the palace but the decorations were much more magnificent. In the middle back of the room were steps up to a throne. Standing on the steps were the Pharaoh's other Priests and Priestesses including Naru's mother.

On the left of the throne stood Illana with three other Priests. Their names were Sehka, Akunadin, and Kepura. Each wore a different tan cloak with gold embedded into it. As Naru stared at each of the three of them while she and her father walked closer she seemed to notice strange gold objects about the three Priests. "They're Millennium Items, Naru," Vazu said as if to read her mind. "The item around Sehka's neck is called the Millennium Necklace. It has the ability to read the future of the kingdom. In the middle is Akunadin, the Pharaoh's brother. His gold eye is called the Millennium Eye. With it he can read anyone's mind. Best be careful with any thoughts around him, Naru. The Final Priest on your left is Kepura. The item he wields is called the Millennium Ring. With it, he can read anyone's soul. It's quite useful in fights." They had reached half of the distance to the Pharaoh.

Naru's glance then went to the other three Priests that were on the right. They too had the strange gold objects called the Millennium Items. "On the right is Socmenton. The item he holds is the Millennium Rod. It has the power to control people's minds. I truly suggest you stay on his good side." He laughs a little. "Next is Shimon. He is the wielder of the Millennium Key which looks inside anyone's deepest and darkest thoughts, feelings, and intentions. To this he has been named the Pharaoh's son's mentor."

"The Pharaoh has a son?" Naru asked.

"Yes, two actually. His first son is the heir to the throne of Egypt. His name is Atem. His other son is named Sethos. I'm sure you'll meet them someday soon." He smiled to her. "The final Priest is Atenze. He holds the Millennium Scale which can read whether a person is good or evil. This is also called the person's ba." They finally reached the steps and walked up them.

Naru's eyes finally rested upon the man in the throne. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. She gazed also upon a gold upside-down pyramid around his neck. She guessed it had to be another Millennium Item. As her father kneeled down Naru followed but she kept her eyes on the Pharaoh. He too was staring at her. A strange expressionless face he had. He wore a long purple cloak also with gold embedded into it. A tan cloak lay underneath the first. A crown lay upon his head.

"Welcome, my friend," he said addressing Vazu. "You came on good tidings, this morning. I see also with a follower." He smiled as his gaze returned to Naru as did the gaze of the other Priests and Priestesses.

"Thank you, my Pharaoh," Vazu said to him and stood up with Naru. "I would like to present my daughter to the council. Her name is Naru."

"Ah… so this is the Naru you've told us so much about," the Pharaoh said standing up. "You may come closer, young lady." Naru looked at her father who nodded and she walked up another small set of stairs and stared up at the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh crouched down a little to Naru so he was eye level with her. He didn't wish to intimidate her for he could see in her eyes that she was afraid. "My friends… would you leave us please?" The Priests and Priestesses looked at each other then walked down the stairs and out of the room closing the door behind them. Illana and Vazu looking very interested as they left.

"Don't be afraid, Naru," he said quietly. "I'm not going to hurt you." He smiled and patted her head. Naru smiled cutely back at him, then all of a sudden, Naru's eyes glowed a strange shade of purple and the Pharaoh just stared at her puzzled. No where had he ever seen a child's eye glow such a color. "Naru? Can you hear me?" She did not respond. 'What is happening? This is quite strange.'

It was like that for a few minutes until all of a sudden her eyes widened. "Pharaoh, look out!" She dove at him and pushed him out of the way as an arrow soared just past them. Naru looked up from the ground at one of the balconies around the room as the culprit grabbed another arrow to shoot at the Pharaoh. "Oh no you don't!" Naru waved her hand up and the man glowed blue and was pulled down to their level then was flung across the room. The man dropped his bow and arrow and scrambled to his feet. He merely wore a turban on his head and a skirt.

"Guards!" Akunumkanon yelled and all of the priests and priestesses as well as the guards ran back in. "Seize that intruder." The guards grabbed the man.

"No! NO! I was so close!" The man was turned around to be gazed at by the Pharaoh, Naru, and the Priests and Priestesses. Naru's eyes returned to normal and she stared at the man. "YOU LITTLE BRAT! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" He screamed glaring at Naru. The Priests stared in awe at Naru.

"Take him to the dungeon," Akunumkanon said to the guards in a calm way. The guards then quickly dragged out the screaming man and the room was dead silent.

"Brother, what happened?" Akunadin asked the Pharaoh.

Akunumkanon said nothing for a while. He was barely sure he even knew what happened moments ago. Did Naru read the future without the Millennium Necklace or did she just have well enough sensing abilities to know that there was danger? He glanced down at Naru who stared back just as confused as he was. "Naru… just saved my life."

"Naru, my Pharaoh?" Kepura asked. "How could this little child stop a full grown archer such as that one?"

"Naru, could you leave us for a moment please?" Akunumkanon asked her. Naru nodded and walked outside the door and closed it but leaned her ear on it. "I don't know how, but I'm pretty sure that Naru saw what was going to happen by reading the future."

"How can you be sure of that?" Illana asked him.

"I don't know. But I believe the gods have given your daughter a gift," he replied. "Sehka!" Sehka walked forward. "I want you to be her mentor. Guide her in all ways you can. Tomorrow her training on becoming a Priestess begins." He stood and the others nodded. "Oh, and Secmenton, look into who has been defiling the sacred scrolls will you?"


	3. Chapter 3: The White Knight

**Chapter 3: The White Knight/ Priestess in Training**

The very next day, Naru got up very early. She wore a long dark blue skirt with a slit on the side and a dark blue top with white see through short sleeves. She looked a lot like a warrior at last. Naru was so excited for her first day of actual training with Sehka that she could not sleep a moment longer. Her instructions were to head to the dining room for breakfast. Shortly afterward, Naru would be led to Sehka's training grounds by some messenger. Naru's parents were already aware of the instructions and for the first time in Naru's life, she was able to wander the corridors of the palace without parental supervision (and before dawn at that). She stared around the nearly empty corridors looking for any sign to the dining room. She was told how to get there, but a child's memory quickly fades when he or she is so excited that they can barely stand it. After exploring for nearly a half an hour she started to smell the delicious food in the dining room and ran towards it.

It was a magnificent room with tapestries all over the walls and a large gold chandelier lit with candles just over a long golden table. Akunumkanon sat alone at the one end of the table. In his hands was a gold book with the Senri eye on it. Slowly, Naru walked over towards him and he looked up smiling. "Good morning, Naru," He said quietly. "Are you hungry?"

"I… guess so," she muttered nervously and rubbed her arms. Akunumkanon signaled to one of the servants to go into the kitchens and bring back some food for Naru. Naru looked down at the book as a small aura emanated around it. The book was quite entrancing.

Akunumkanon followed Naru's gaze to the book and smiled. "It's interesting, isn't it?" He asked.

"Yes. But what is it?" Her soft voice trembled. She was not really sure if she should have asked that question. She did sound to herself to be a little nosy in matters that do not concern her. Even with that so, Akunumkanon answered.

"This is called the Book of Amunra."

"Amunra? What is that?"

Akunumkanon frowned a little. "Your parents never told you about Amunra before?" Naru shook her head slightly. "Very strange…"

"You can tell me though, can't you?"

"I'm afraid not, Naru. Something like Amunra must be told to you by your parents only. I must not interfere." Nele looked down sadly. "Do not be sad, Naru. I am certain they will tell you soon. You are just a little girl now. There are so many experiences that lay before you on your journey to seek what you're looking for." He smiled as Naru looked up quickly and stared at him. Had he just read her thoughts? "It's easy to tell what you're thinking by your emotions, Naru. Be very aware when you use your emotions. And as for your journey, what child does not have something they are seeking for in their lives?"

"I… don't even know what I'm searching for. How do you know I'll find it?"

"Because you have your mother's spirit and your father's determination. You'll find it." Naru smiled cutely and just out of nowhere, she hugs him then quickly backs up. Both laugh a little bit and Akunumkanon offers her a seat next to him as the food was placed down before them.

Shortly after breakfast, Naru walked over to a balcony and waited for Sehka's messenger to take her to the training grounds. A few other of the priests started walking into the room to eat breakfast as well, but there was no sign of Sehka yet. 'Perhaps she forgot about me?' Naru asked herself. She looked back at the horizon to watch the sun rise for a short while longer. About ten minutes later, Akunumkanon walked over to her and looked at the horizon too.

"She's on her way," he muttered to Naru. Naru looked at him.

"You're certain?" Akunumkanon nodded. "How do you know?" Naru asked. Akunumkanon smiled to her.

"My, my. You ask quite a lot of questions for a child your age," Akunumkanon replied laughing a little while Naru blushed. "Magic is how I know, Naru. I know by telepathy and by sensing it. When you get in tuned with your powers… you will be able to know too." Akunumkanon pointed to a small black dot that was in front of the sun. The black dot seemed to be getting closer for it began to grow and form shape of someone. That someone was another girl, Sehka's messenger.

Sehka's messenger was around Naru's age. She had long dark brown hair and light lavender eyes. She wore a long black and white dress that lay just off of her shoulders. On her back were long black wings that were flapping vigorously. She flew right up to Naru and stared at her for a moment while tilting her head from time to time.

"You're late," Akunumkanon said to the girl calmly.

"Forgive me, my Pharaoh," the girl said while curtsying in midair, "I woke up rather late this morning." She rubbed her eyes a little. Naru could see that the girl was extremely tired still but the girl tried hard to hide that.

"Do not apologize to me," Akunumkanon said back, "it is Naru that you should apologize to. She has been waiting for you for quite some time." The girl's eyes went back to Naru.

"I am sorry, Naru," the girl said apologetically to Naru.

Naru blinked and replied, "It's quite all right, I guess." The girl smiles and Naru smiles back.

Akunumkanon continued to just look at the girl directly. "Naru hasn't learned to fly like her mother yet so you'll have to help her out, Audriana."

Naru stared at Akunumkanon with her jaw wide open. "My mom can fly?!" Akunumkanon nodded. "Good Ra she's been keeping so much from me."

"All for your protection, I'm sure, Naru," Akunumkanon replied quickly. Naru nodded slowly and looks at the girl Akunumkanon called Audriana. Audriana looks back at her while still smiling slightly.

"Well, shall we?" Audriana asked and held out her hand to Naru. Naru took her hand.

"Good luck with your training, Naru," Akunumkanon said to Naru and smiled as Audriana and Naru flew off into the desert.

The sun was nearly high in the sky when Audriana and Naru broke the silence between them on their journey to Sehka.

"So, you're Lord Vazu & Lady Illana's daughter?" Audriana asked.

"Yes. My name is Naru," Naru replied.

"My name is Audriana. I'm a Priestess in training too," she said smiling proudly.

"This is just my first day to training…"

"You'll do just fine. If you're as good as rumors say you are, then training with Sehka will be a piece of cake."

"Rumors?"

"Yeah! It's already gone around the entire kingdom that you saved the Pharaoh's life yesterday. Rumors spread pretty fast around here. Then again, the one who says them can't ever keep her big mouth shut."

"Who's that?"

"Well… her name is Chira but she sometimes she likes her friends like me to call her Hawkhana. She's really cool."

"Oh. I'd like to meet her someday."

"Maybe you could come to sorcery training sometime. Sehka would surely not disagree that it could help out your powers of sorcery."

"If I have any…" Audriana stops suddenly and looks at Naru.

"Are you kidding me?! After what happened yesterday with that archer you doubt if you have any powers?! Are you insane?!" Naru looked down towards the ground sadly and then there was silence.

The city that Audriana and Naru were now flying over seemed very mysterious and eerie. It felt like a dark shadow was creeping over the city like a cat creeps over to trounce on its prey. That is where they landed. Naru looked around and then looked at Audriana.

"Sehka will be in through there," Audriana said to Naru while pointing to a nearly destroyed building. "Good luck."

Naru looked up and down the building, gulped, and walked into it. Just inside the door was a long staircase into a dark cave. Silently and with her knees shaking she followed the stairs into the cold and darkness of the morning. The stairs were extremely long and it seemed to take hours just to walk down and she still wasn't at the end. Naru was getting tired fast and she was quickly impatient with her excitement of training taking so long. She finally stopped on one of the stairs and looked around. "I wonder if there's any faster way to get down these stairs." The hallway of stairs was empty and to no avail she had found no faster way to descend until… 'I wish there was at least something here to help me,' she thought to herself and sighed. And that's when it happened. The thought of a shield stuck in her head and that's all her untrained mind could think about. Suddenly there was a noise next to her and a shield had strangely appeared right before her eyes and fell on a stair nearly falling down the rest of the staircase.

Naru quickly grabbed it before it fell and she stared at it for a while. 'Did I…? No… it couldn't have been me. Could it?' She asked herself but she then shrugged. The shield was very large and very heavy but it could do the job she wished to have done. She cautiously put the shield on a stair and slowly sat in it Indian style then looked down the dark hallway and took a deep breath. She let go of the other steps and quickly held onto the handles of the shields and immediately she zoomed down the stairs. At first it was terrifying to her but she finally got used to it and she started laughing as she went down the stairs. "Light!" About 20 more stairs down was a light and at last, the end of the staircase.

She looked around quickly with her eyes wide open. She knew now that if she doesn't find a way to slow down, she could crash into anything down at the end of the stairs. She looked up quickly and saw a bar coming up above her. Without even thinking about it she leapt from the shield and grabbed onto the bar as the shield zoomed down the final stairs and into the lit room with a large crash. She let out a heavy sigh and let go of the bar and dropped onto the stair below her and she walked down the final steps into the brightly lit room.

It was a large circular room with strange stone slabs with carvings of large creatures and monsters. They seemed somehow familiar to Naru but she couldn't recall having ever seen them before. As she gently placed her hand upon one of the tablets she seemed to hear a strong voice calling out to her from behind the stone. It was a loud and powerful voice that could scare off all intruders, but for some reason Naru was calmed more by the voice then afraid of it. She took a step back and gazed at the carving on the stone. The picture was of a tall centaur-type man with long blonde hair and a beautiful white mane. His upper body was mostly covered with soft white feathers and he appeared to have a magnificent sword and shield in his hands.

Naru smiled and curtsied to the stone slab. She didn't know why she had done that but it seemed to her that this slab was more then just some rock but that this rock was a dazzling creature of great strength and beauty. Her eyes were transfixed to the stone and the creature within once again called out to her and, as if in a trance, she slowly walked closer to the stone, reached out, and touched the hand of the white knight. A glow came from the tablet and suddenly Naru felt like she was floating to something for she was no longer in the cave. Finally she could see what she was landing upon. It was a beautiful ancient castle of white pillars and a crystal fountain. Around the realm floated large amounts of creatures much like the ones on the stone slabs she had recently come across.

"Naru…," whispered the voice again but this time softer and gentler. She was drawn to the voice like a moth to a flame as she climbed white stone steps and entered the room of the crystal fountain. On one of the sides of the fountain stood the White Knight that she had seen on the tablet in the cave. He watched her slowly approach as he smiled and bowed his head.

Naru stopped mere feet from the creature. She was in awe so badly that she could not speak a word and even if she could, she would not know what to say. As he raised his head he leaned forward to her and gently whispered in her ear. "Do not be afraid." His upper body pulled back and he kneeled on the ground with his horse legs. Just as the knight had done so, Naru ran up to him and hugged him tightly. His arms gently wrapped around her and embraced her. "I will always look after you…," he whispered and she closed her eyes smiling and then as quick as it had begun it was over.

She was back at the cave with her tiny arms trying to clasp around the large stone tablet as Sehka approached Naru with an eyebrow raised. "What are you doing?" Naru opened her eyes and looked at the stone tablet and then at her new mentor.

"I… nothing." 'Did I imagine that place?' Naru thought to herself.

Sehka walked up to the stone tablet and stared at it for a moment then touched the tablet with her hand. "Ah… Airknight Parshath… a powerful guardian." Her eyes lowered down to Naru who stared at the floor thinking herself foolish. 'Amazing that such a powerful creature would choose such a young and inexperienced child for his master. Perhaps Akunumkanon was right about this child having a gift for if the Airknight Parshath has chosen this little one, then he must see something special in her that I have yet to see.' She shook her head and closed her eyes. "I must partially congratulate you, I suppose."

"On what, my lady?" Naru asked.

"Your conjuring the shield on the stairs. That was a very inventive and an unexpected thing I would ever think to see from a child of your age. It would take any normal sorcerer or sorceress several years to learn such a thing but you did it in one try. You have great focus, I see...," Naru's eyes had wandered from Sehka to the other stone tablets and the rest of the room, "…but you lack the proper obedience on other matters…" Naru looked quickly at Sehka. "Stand up straight! A priestess does not slouch!" Naru stood up straight and looked dead forward to pay attention to Sehka who was circling her like a vulture ready to strike at her at any point. "You also lack patience."

"I will work on those things," Naru muttered.

"Very good." She stopped circling Naru and stood in front of her. "Every other day you will attend magic lessons with Priest Secmenton and his other apprentices unless otherwise advised by myself or the Pharaoh. Is that understood?" Naru nodded. "Excellent. We will leave most of your sorcery practices with him, then. Do you know of archery, child?"

"I only know that the man that tried to harm the Pharaoh was an archer."

"No, no that won't do at all. That shall be our first matter to attend to after my final instructions are given." She started pacing back and forth in front of Naru as Naru's eyes watched her closely. "On your days off during the week that are given to citizens to prey for the Pharaoh and the gods, you will be given some free time to do as you please. During that time you will also be obligated to report to the library to study on books that I see fit. Priest Shimon will be there to assist you certain times when he is not watching over the Princes of Egypt."

"When can I meet the Princes?"

"I'd believe a long time till you are able to see them at last but there are chances that either Prince Sethos or Prince Atem will show up at your sorcery class. If you do see them then you are under strict orders not to speak unless spoken to. The princes do not have time to trifle with questionative children like you taking them from their important studies."

"Yes, my lady," Naru mumbled looking down.

As weeks passed, Naru followed the strict instructions that Sehka had given her and she obediently followed them to the very end. On the sorcery days she was learning about the elements and studied healing but she had not seen nor heard anything more on the Princes. She was a quiet child in the classes and would most of the time spend the class learning in a corner alone as the other children were with other friends in the class. As the rumor had gone around about how she saved the Pharaoh, most in the class were afraid of her power.

"I heard that the gods themselves had raised her for a couple years but had to stop because her powers were getting too strong even for themselves," whispered one boy before the start of class. A couple of other young sorcerers and sorceresses had watched Naru from time to time during class but only one with dark brown hair and brown eyes had the guts to approach her. The girl, whom had called herself Mana, tried to talk to Naru but Naru never said a word to any of them. She had known what they all thought of her and so she figured that it was no use to press the issue to make any friends among them. Audriana, Naru had found out, had taken a great sickness for past few weeks and so Naru had no one to talk to that she knew.

On the training days she started to learn how to ride horses and how to work on archery. Horseback riding had come easy to her as if she had known it all her life already but archery was all together another story.

"No, no, Naru!" Sehka yelled at Naru as they were both standing in the eerie city looking at targets. "How many times have I told you to focus on your targets and not close your eyes?! It's one thing if you have no choice and cannot see your target and you have to use your other senses but the target is right in front of you! Don't be afraid to shoot it! These aren't even moving targets yet and you have trouble on stationary ones! Now shoot at the bull's-eye!" Naru aimed the bow at the center of the target, lost her footing, and shot straight into the air above the target, hit a building, and bounced off it at Sehka who narrowly missed getting hit in the heart with the arrow. Naru shuddered slightly and looked thoroughly embarrassed as Sehka was shaking with anger but she tried to hold her temper in. "That's it. You will practice day and night out here without your days off until you get it right. You have one week to improve or I will have no choice but to punish you for not trying your hardest."

Naru had a look of terror on her face. She hadn't ever seen the full wrath of Sehka when she was highly angered by failure and Naru did not want to find out. Sehka had taken off on a large two-headed fire dragon and left Naru alone with the targets to practice till sunset. By the time the sun had started to fall, Naru had finally given up for the day, put away her bow and arrows, and rode the couple miles home on the horse that she had decided to call Southwind for it had always seemed to Naru that the strongest winds she had experienced had come from the south. And so, Naru, Southwind, and the White Knight (Airknight Parshath) rode with the beautiful moon on their way home after a long day's of hard work.


	4. Chapter 4: The Treasure of Egypt

**Chapter 4. The Treasure of Egypt**

The entire week that Naru was given to train hard on in archery was a very long one. She woke up at 5 a.m. every morning and rode Southwind to the eerie city that Priestess Sehka had called Syene. Naru would then on practice against the stationary targets until noon. At noon she would take a small lunch break by the Nile River which ran on the east of the banks on the city. It had never occurred to Naru to wonder why a town would become deserted if it were so close to the beautiful river, for she knew that Sehka had always thought that she asked too many questions for her own good. After lunch, she would secretly travel down the stairs to the location of the strange, but interesting, creatures she had learned were called Shadow Monsters. They were magical creatures that the Priests and Priestesses and even the Pharaoh himself would call upon in order to protect the kingdom of Egypt. She had also learned from Pharaoh Akunumkanon himself that the world that the Airknight Parshath had taken her to was the realm of the Ancient Beasts which was also known as the Holy Land.

Without Sehka to watch her every move throughout the days, she explored the city and the depths beneath it as the presence of the White Knight floated by her side. She did this until the blistering hot sun would retreat at last and she would train once more and then return to the palace just before the moon reached out its hand to touch the skies above the kingdom. This would continue to go on for another couple days as at last Naru's skills grew so strong in archery that even Sehka would be proud of what she accomplished… or so she hoped anyway.

"Fire your arrow at the center of the target. We shall see if how much you've learned this week and what you're about to learn. You will not only shoot at the center of the target…," Sehka muttered to Naru. "You must also hit this apple into the air using your foot on this board…," She placed a plank that was similar to a teeter-totter in front of Naru. Sehka then placed an apple on the opposite side of Naru so Naru's side of the teeter-totter was lifted into the air. "And then hit your arrow into the apple and then the center of the target." Even with such a nearly impossible task that was given to her, Naru nodded with obedience and raised her bow to aim at the target. "And Naru…," Naru's head turned slightly to her mentor, "don't you dare miss…" The moment of truth had come. As her sight was set on the target once more, fire lit in her eyes and an enormous amount of confidence swept her.

'I know I can do this… somehow… I know I can make my parents proud.' Her foot pushed down on the board to fling the apple in the air and, as it came into eye level, Naru's arrow whizzed through the air into the apple and then hit the center of the target head on. She then turned to Sehka and bowed with the bow to her side.

Sehka was stunned at what she had just witnessed. Naru's worst skill had suddenly become one of her best in a matter of days. How could this have been possible? Perhaps she would become a worthy second apprentice after all…

Months passed since that fateful day and because of that one domino falling, the others soon followed in Naru's life. But the dominos fell to an advantage of Naru's.

"Alright children, settle down…," Secmenton yelled over the class. The class instantly settled down and looked straight at the center of the classroom which was where Priest Secmenton stood to teach. "Good... now. I have a surprise for you all." Whispers went about the room quickly and Naru glanced up knowing what he was about to say to them. "The Pharaoh thinks it be best that you all learn to use your magic through experience... and tests..."

"Sir? Does this mean that we're going to have a pop quiz?" Asked the girl that Naru had come to learn was named Chira.

"In... a way, I suppose Miss Hawkana."

"Wah!! I didn't study!" She screamed. Naru's eyes narrowed at the wailing and placed her hands over her ears.

"Shh... Quiet, Chira. I've got a plan," Mana whispered. "There's this spell that I learned that can help us both pass this quiz."

Secmenton, over-hearing this, shook his head in a frustrated fashion. "That will not be possible as this is not a hand written test, Mana... If you had been listening to me, then you would have known that."

"What kind of test is it then, Master Secmenton?" Chira asked confused.

Secmenton smirked and glanced at all of them. "That's what you're going to find out..." Chira and Mana gulped hard and glanced at each other. "Stand up and hold still." The class did what they were told, stood up, and kept as still as possible.

In the blink of an eye the class vanished into thin air and reappeared in a cold and foggy city. Barely anything could be seen because the fog was so thick. "Master? Where are we?" Chira asked.

"We, Chira, are in the city of Harlidium which is just south of the great river Nile."

"So that explains the fog..." Naru muttered. Secmenton glanced back at her.

"Indeed. The city of Harlidium is known as the foggy city. It is believed that the Gods grew angry at the people of this city and thus clouded their beautiful sky. The Harlidiums eventually died out because that loss destroyed their crops and they had no way to survive."

"ANYway... let's get to your test. You all will be working as a team. One body, one ka, one mind... Your objective will be to destroy the threat in the city and retrieve a treasure that the threat has captured. You may use any method of doing so."

"Master Secmenton?" Vash piped up and Secmenton glanced at him. "What do you mean that we will be one body, one ka, and one mind?"

"And what kind of treasure is it that the... threat... has?" Isis questioned.

"Both good questions. Well done, Vash and Isis. It is always wise to learn more about your circumstances so you are prepared." Vash and Isis glanced at each other, then quickly looked away again. "I see that look in your eye, young Vash. No... you will not truly join bodies. I could do that if I so wished, but the Pharaoh will not permit me to do so which means that you all must use your strengths to your advantage. If you leave even one person out then you all fail... I really would rather not describe what happens if you fail."

Each of the children glanced at each other unsure of the other's abilities as magicians. "As for your question, Isis, well... you'll find out when you get there."

"Any other questions?" The class was silent. "Excellent. Well then... Mahado, Naru, Chira, Mana, Vash, Shada, Isis and Karim...," he glanced at each of them in turn, "good luck." He disappeared leaving them all alone with their problem.

"So what do we do NOW?" Vash yelled annoyed.

"Well isn't it obvious?" Naru said out loud as they all looked at her. "We pass the test."

"Yeah well... I dunno about you, Princess, but it's obvious that we've all noticed that each of us are very different people. There's no way we can coexist and beat this test."

Naru sighed. "Look... we're all being put together because we're so different. We do all have strengths and weaknesses and if we can learn to overcome each other's weaknesses than we will be a very strong force. And I'd APPRECIATE it...," she took a breath, "VERY... much if you'd not call me princess."

Vash rolled his eyes but Isis looked at him. "She's right. The Priests and Priestesses do it... so can we." Vash stared at her with a curious look in his eyes but then looked away again.

A few of the others still looked uncertain. Chira looked at them all seriously. "Who's in?!"

Naru, Chira, and Isis put their hands in. Mahado looked at them. "It is the best thing to do." He put his hand in as well.

Mana glanced at them all. "Well... I... aww! I'm with you guys no matter what. Through thick and thin... through wind and rain... through thunder and lightning... through..."

"Just put your hand in!" Chira yelled and Mana quickly put it in.

Shada and Karim glanced at each other and nodded. "We have no other alternative." They both placed their hands in and all eyes moved to Vash who was chewing on a piece of wheat he found.

For a few moments they all stared at him and he stared back. "Well?" Naru asked.

"You have got to be kidding me..."

"Please, Vash... We need you," Isis pleaded as Vash stared in her soft eyes.

"I... well... anything. I... er... mean... sure. Whatever." He quickly put his hand in. "Ok ladies and gentlemen... we've all agreed to work together... how? We don't even know what we're up against yet," Vash spoke in an almost annoyed tone.

Almost at the exact moment that Vash had said that a roar came out from the fog and an outline of a huge beast towered over all of the children. Naru looked up with her eyes wide. "Ask and yee shall receive, Vash."

"What do we do now?" Karim asked in awe.

The monster raised its claws and a glowing light appeared in it. "RUN!" Isis yelled and they all scattered. A beam of light shot down from the monster's claws and just barely missed the group but it kept firing and eventually struck down nearly hitting Isis. "Ah!" She dove sideways out of the way just in time but another zoomed at her. Time slowed for a moment as the beam slowly came closer. Then, at the last minute, Isis had felt a push and she was no longer in the line of fire... someone else was.

Vash yelled out in pain for a moment when the beam first hit, then a grin grew on his face. But it wasn't a happy grin. It was an amused, yet painful grin. The next moment they all knew, a powerful glint appeared in Vash's eyes. Vash turned around and faced the blast head on still smirking. "Hey there, Ugly..."

"VASH! Get out of there!" They all shouted to him but he shrugged the warning off.

"You think that blast's good then you ain't seen nothing yet..." The monster stopped the beam and stared at Vash in confusion. "Bad move, Ugly..." He waved his arm and an ancient duel disk appeared on it.

The others stared at him in amazement. "Where'd you conjure one of those from?" Shada asked.

"Well... I've been studying with Mahado lately. Though I don't have this shadow dueling down yet."

"You used it without perfecting it?!" Naru exclaimed.

"Sheesh. You're such a worry wart." The monster, in utter confusion and now seen clearly through the fog, raised its claw again.

"Well use it!!" Chira yelled and Vash quickly looked up at the monster.

"Don't think so..." He raised his duel disk and chanted a spell. "Powers of water and earth infuse thyself to create thy ruler of the sea. Come forth the water monarch Mobious!" Water shot from the ground and when it finally fell a warrior in a watery steel armour (yes, I know. hard to believe that such a compound exists. haha) stood next to Vash. The opposing monster roared and fired a blast at Vash but Mobious raised his fists and water shot from them at the monster's blast, went through it, and hit the monster causing it to vanish in defeat. As soon as the monster vanished, Vash fell to his knees and collapsed in Isis' arms.

"Vash! Vash are you alright?!" Isis held him sadly knowing he used so much of his strength just to protect them.

"Heh… are you kidding? This is nothing…" He tried to stand up, but fell over again.

Naru stood in front of him. "You should stay with Isis. You look exhausted."

Vash shook his head. "No, you guys leave me here. I'll catch up when I feel up to it."

"And what will you do if a big bad boogie man comes back?" Chira teased.

"Do I look like a baby to you, Chira? Get going!"

"Oh alright, alright. Geez! You're such a grouch sometimes. You know that?" She and the others started walking off... all except Isis that is.

"Are you certain you'll be fine? I don't want anything bad to happen to you, Vash," Isis said to him.

"Heh." He winked at her and slightly smiled. "I'll be just fine. They need you more than I do. Hurry up before they leave you here."

"Oh... ok. Call me if you need me, though. Ok?" She stood up.

"I know. Don't worry, I'll be okay."

Isis nodded and ran off after the others who were not that far ahead. "So... what do you guys think the treasure is?" Chira asked.

"Something biiig and shiny!" Mana smiled and giggled to herself. "Maybe it's a statue of one of the Gods or Goddesses, all made of gold and decorated with all kinds of gems."

Chira's eyes widened in awe and then looked at Mana. "That would be sooooo cool!! Which God or Goddess do you think? I like the God of the sky." She smiled cutely.

"Nah, someone more important. Like Isis or Osiris." She gasped. "It's Ra! That has to be it!"

"Has anyone ever seen what Ra looks like, Mana?" Naru asked curiously.

"Uhh…yes?" She put her finger to her chin and looked up. "I can't remember though."

"Ra rarely shows its form to mortals, Mana," Mahado said to her.

"But they have drawings and stuff don't they?! You two ruin everything." Mana crossed her arms and pouted, walking slightly faster than the rest now.

"She may be right, you know. We don't really know what we're supposed to be finding. We could have passed it already for all we know," Karim spoke up.

"We shall probably know that it is the treasure when we see it," Mahado said.

"I see something!" Chira stopped suddenly as if frozen.

"What?! Where?!" Mana stopped and moved her head around in every direction quickly. "Where is it?! I want it!"

A shaky hand pointed upward into the fog ahead of them where a grey wolf sat snarling. "W...w...wolf!!!" Chira screamed.

"Eeek!" Mana ran and hid behind Mahado. "Ehehe…you get him, Mahado."

"Niiice doggie…"

"But Mana, shouldn't you be practicing your magic here? You cannot hide behind others forever."

"Ouch...," Chira mumbled. "Tre' harsh."

"Come on, Mana. Try," Mahado said to her. Everyone else nodded in encouragement.

"A-alright…" Mana slowly walked away from the others and very slowly approached the wolf. "Nice doggie…you're not gonna hurt anyone are you? Nooo…you're just a puppy."

The wolf snarled showing its teeth to her. He took a step closer to her and barked.

"Eep." She hopped back and held out her hand. A long pink and blue wand with a gold ball on the top appeared in her hand and she pointed it at the wolf. "Sleepy time." She muttered some words under her breath and tightly closed her eyes for a moment.

The wolf stared at her staff for a moment and stopped growling. It slowly started wobbling around until at last collapsing. It has fallen asleep.

Mana opened her eyes and blinked then stared at her wand. "It worked?"

"Well done, Mana!" Mahado pat her on the back.

"Congratulations!" Everyone else yelled out with some, including Naru and Chira, hugging her.

"Told you that you could do it," Naru smiled.

"Yay! I did it! I did it! I did it! Yay!" She flung her staff into the air and it, upon landing, ended up whacking Karim on the head with it.

"Ow!" Karim yelled out in pain. The staff had left a huge red bruise where she hit. He rubbed where it hit and handed her back her staff while biting his lip to hold in the pain.

"Eh heh…. Mad Karim is scarier than angry wolf!" Her wand disappeared and she ran ahead.

"Are you alright?" Shada asked him. Karim gave him a look and followed Mana. The others soon followed after them both.

"Alright! I'm next!" Chira jumped up on a boulder. "Whether it be rain, sleet or snow I will conquer all!" The wind blew hard and she fell off crashing into Shada. "Oi..." She got up and helped Shada up too. "Oops. Sorry, Shada."

"Just be more careful next time," he said to her.

They continued walking through the city trying to look around until a strange sound echoed through the streets.

A scream was heard up ahead.

"Oh no! Mana!" Mahado yelled.

"After her!" Yelled Shada and they all ran forward after her.

Mana was curled up in the middle of the street, holding her head and her eyes were tightly closed. "Heeeeelp!"

They all reached her quickly and looked around cautiously.

"Mana! Mana what is it?" Chira asked nervously.

She said nothing, only pointed a shaking hand into the fog.

All eyes looked towards where she pointed trying to see what she saw. Several red eyes watched them from the fog. The only thing that was seen from the creature was a large black wing. The creature stepped out of the fog to reveal the Red Eyes Black dragon... and it was charging a blast to attack them.

"Move!" Naru yelled to them and most of them scattered. She looked at Mana who had not moved. "Hurry! Get up!" Naru was still next to Mana to make sure she got to a safe place.

"Bad dream. Bad dream. Bad dream. Bad dream," Mana repeated while rocking on the ground.

Naru's eyes widened in shock. "GET... UP!!!" Red Eyes raised its mouth and aimed at the two of them.

"Mana! Naru! Get out of there!" Shada yelled to them from behind a building.

"Naru, make it go away!" Mana whimpered.

"I.... I don't know how!" Naru stared directly into those merciless blood red eyes in terror.

Red eyes' eyes flashed and it fired the blast directly at them. "MANA!! NARU!!" They all yelled as Naru, without thinking, jumped out in front of the blast to block it from hitting Mana.

"No one...hits... my friends!!!" She glowed white and continued to take the blast. The ground was shaking and started cracking around where Naru and Mana were, but Naru remained standing.

When the blast finally ended, Naru collapsed in front of Mana as Red Eyes charged another blast. "Naru! Naru, get up!" Mana started to cry as she nudged Naru.

"Everyone! Send out your guardians! Quick!" Mahado yelled. Red eyes fired another blast at them and just at the last second five creatures appeared between the Red Eyes, Mana, and Naru. The creatures easily took the attack and then struck back at the dragon and destroyed it.

As soon as they were sure Red Eyes was gone, they ran over to Mana and Naru. Naru was a bit bruised and was unconscious but she was still strangely glowing white and she was still alive.

"Naruuuuu." Mana cried into her robes, wiping her eyes and nose. "I'm soryyyyyy."

Mahado knelt down next to both of them and put his hand on Mana's shoulder. "Don't worry. She'll be fine."

"When is this stupid test gonna be over?!"

"S...soon..." Naru quickly started regaining consciousness and strangely enough all of her bruises started to vanish. "We're... almost there... It is only fitting that…one of the stronger monsters are at the end. Don't you all think?"

They all had shocked looks on their faces as she looked at everyone. "What is it?" She asked.

They all shook their heads strangely and looked towards her. "I do suppose that near the end of the test, there would be a strong beast," Karim said.

"The question is... where is this treasure?" Shada asked.

Naru slowly got to her feet and held her hand out to Mana. "C'mon Mana. It's alright." Naru smiled to her.

"Ok!" Mana smiled back and jumped up, grabbing Naru's hand.

"We should look around. It has to be around here somewhere," Isis suggested. They all nodded and searched around where they were to see if they could find anything of value.

"I… I think I found something!" Chira yelled over to them from a building.

"Shiny?!" Mana quickly ran over to Chira and stared over her shoulder.

"Erm... well... it's sorta shiny." She pointed to a dusty gold staircase that had been hidden by the sand. Everyone else walked over.

"How do we get that home?" Mana asked.

"I... don't think that we take the staircase back with us, Mana," Mahado said to her in a somewhat amused tone.

"How about one stair?"

"Wouldn't it just be easier if we try going down the stairs?" Shada asked.

"Where's the fun in that? We've been walking for hours," Mana grumbled.

A yell of pain was heard from down the stairs causing several of them to jump back. "Well, that didn't sound good…" Mana looked at the others, then down into the darkness. "Do we really have to go down there?"

"It appears so... it sounds like somebody is hurt down there," Naru muttered.

'I know that yell...,' Mahado thought to himself. "Let's go!" He quickly started running down the stairs.

The others followed trying to keep up with Mahado's fast pace. A bright light shone at the bottom of the stairs.

"What's that? Shiny!!" Mana yelled out in delight.

As soon as they all reached the bottom of the stairs they could see the sun shining through the cave and an unconscious figure laying in the sunlight.

"Who is that?!" Chira asked. A bunch of confused looks appeared on their faces.

"The treasure, Chira..." Mahado walked up to the figure and knelt next to the figure. The sun shone brighter to reveal some features of the figure. The figure was a young boy... A boy with gold and crimson hair and a gold crown placed upon his head.

Mana gasped upon looking at the boy. "Atem!" She pushed the others out of the way and jumped down the last of the stairs, then ran to him.

"Atem...? PRINCE ATEM?!!!" Chira gasped.

Naru's eyes widened and she approached them all. "Is that really the Prince of Egypt?"

"Of course it is!" Mana nudged him slightly. "Hey, get up."

"He's unconscious, Mana," Mahado looked up suddenly. "We are not alone..."

Everyone looked around and noticed it too... they were surrounded.


	5. Chapter 5: The Mysterious Trial

**Chapter 5. Unforeseen Training and the Mysterious Trial**

As all eyes peered around, the young apprentices formed a circle around the equally young Prince Atem. Each separate priest or priestess in training was nearly face to face with two dangerous-looking thieves/murderers while many more stood behind them.

"Well lookie what we've got here," one of the bulkier men in front of Mana muttered to the others as all of the thieves grinned.

Mana whimpered and trembled. "Mahado…? What do we do?" The bulky man in front of Mana jumped a foot forward which caused the apprentices around her (Shada, Naru, and Chira) to flinch backwards and nearly trip over Atem's unconscious body. All of the thieves burst into laughter at the children.

"Steady, my friends…," Mahado turned his head towards his friends. "Keep steady. They're only trying to scare us."

"So, you're the leader of this little band of children?" A tall man about the age of thirty in crimson robes walked into the light of the cave towards Mahado. Mahado's eyes followed this man as the man stopped in front of Mahado waiting for an answer that would not come. Before anyone could react, Mahado was knocked off his feet and rammed to the floor. "You must learn some respect, boy!" The man barked at him as his men laughed.

"Mahado!" Several of the children broke ranks for a moment and turned towards Mahado to check if he was alright. Mana knelt down to Mahado with tears in her eyes.

"I'm alright, Mana. Really." Mahado smiled faintly to her and stood with her again reforming the circle as the thieves talked amongst themselves about what to do with the children.

"We've got to get out of here," Chira whispered to the others trembling while clinging to Shada.

"What about our guardians?" Naru asked the others nervously attempting to solve the problem.

"Yes! Our guar—" Mana nearly yelled before Chira covered her mouth.

"Shuuuuush… We don't want those big bullies to hear us."

Mahado shook his head solemnly. "It will not work. If any of our guardians missed their targets, they could accidently hit the walls and cause a cave in."

Many of the children looked worried now as the thieves laughed amongst themselves. "Any other ideas?" Karim asked the others.

Chira surveyed the area before taking a deep breath and whispering to her friends, "If you guys'll go for it… I think I have an idea…"

As the children quietly planned their escape, their captors were busy deciding how best to deal with the children. One thing in particular was on their minds… revenge. Several years ago, the thieves were in the middle of one of the largest raids Egypt had ever seen. This group of men and their leader, Bomani (the robed man), had raided cities and tombs all across the sands. It wasn't until about a year ago that their plans were at last thwarted by King Akunumkanon and his priests.

Bomani still remembered that day very well. He and his fifty followers had gotten into the tomb of a king of the fourth dynasty, King Khafre, with ease dodging many well thought out booby traps and defenses. Bomani had his sites on this particular tomb for ages for of all of the previous pharaoh's tombs, Bomani had always imagined a hefty amount of gold from Khafre's due to the size of the pyramid in which the tomb resided. He was never more pleased with what he saw across the grounds of the tomb. Piles upon piles of gold jewelry, goblets, elegant silks, and so much more lay across the floor of the tomb. But one thing attracted Bomani the most. There resting in the eye sockets of Khafre's serdab were large glittering gems that seemed to glow in the light from the men's torches. These gems alone were worth a fortune and, to Bomani, they were the only things that mattered. But, just as Bomani reached to grab the stones, it all came crashing down.

The pharaoh's priests had set a trap for Bomani and his men. In a huge jumble of fighting and screaming, Bomani managed to escape with merely fourteen men all empty-handed. It was Bomani's greatest achievement… but it was also the worst day of his life. More than half of his men were imprisoned thanks to the priests and guards loyal to Akunumkanon. That day, Bomani had vowed to make the priests pay for what they had done.

"I'll tell you what we do men…," Bomani barked to his followers, "we kill the children."

"What?! Kill children? Isn't that a bit irrational, sir?" One of the younger thieves foolishly questioned.

In a split second, Bomani's eyes shot to the young thief glaring a hole into the boy causing him to stumble backward slightly. "Bit irrational?" Bomani started to laugh slightly at his nervous followers as Bomani stood up from the rock he was sitting on. "Tell me, Yasago… what would you do with the children?"

The young thief named Yasago looked at his cohorts in the face nervously before glancing back at their leader. "I… I would hold the children as ransom. Surely Akunumkanon and his priests would pay a hefty price for the lives of these children."

A grin appeared on Bomani's face as he slowly walked towards the trembling Yasago. "Ah Yasago… you are probably right…" Bomani smiled kindly to Yasago and took him by the shoulder in a half hug… before plunging a sword deep into Yasago's stomach. Several of the other thieves gasped as Bomani did this, but most just looked down at the ground watching Yasago fall at Bomani's feet. The fire returned to Bomani's eyes as he looked around the group again. "Does anyone ELSE believe that a pitiful ransom would be enough to replace all that we have lost?! Men, Akunumkanon and his foolhardy priests deserve to be punished for what they did to us. There is but one choice that will return the favor… We must KILL those children!" Many of the thieves still had very uncertain faces, but all nodded in agreement to their leader raising swords into the air. "So let it be…,"

Bomani laughed manically as he and the remaining twelve bandits faced the priests and priestesses in training once more unaware of the plan that the seven children had been planning. "Well children… I'm afraid to tell you all this, but this will be your last day upon the Earth," Bomani laughed cockily. "Do you have any last words before we kill you all?"

All of the thieves moved towards the exit to block it trying to prove to the children that there was no escape, but escaping was no longer the issue for the children. Karim and Isis stood on each side of the unconscious Prince Atem as the others stood in a fighting formation.

"What is this?!" Bomani his men stared in utter confusion noticing the battle formation the children were in. "You cannot seriously think you all can win this fight!"

Chira stood in the front of the group of children with a stern look on her face. "I suggest that you do not underestimate us so quickly. We are the future of Egypt and in the name of the gods of Egypt…," Chira looked around at her friends with an enormous amount of hope in her eyes seeing each of them nod in return returning her gaze back to the robbers, "we will not fall to the likes of you." For the first time in a long time, Chira refused to be afraid of what lay before her. There was too much ahead of her to back down even to these tyrants. Each of the students raised either their hands or staves ready for the eminent battle that meant the difference between life and death.

"If the way you wish to die is slow and painfully… then we will gladly oblige!" Bomani and his men ran at the children fiercely.

A fire burned in Chira's eyes as she pointed to each of the sides of the cave signaling Shada and Mahado forward. Each acknowledged their signals and jumped to the sides shocking the thieves on the sides of the cave with their agility. Mahado struck his opponent first jabbing his opponent hard in the stomach causing his opponent to keel over in pain then bashing him hard over the head knocking the man down and out before the man knew what hit him.

Shada wasn't too far behind Mahado on the other side attempting to swipe his adversary's legs out from under him, but the man expected it. The man jumped into the air dodging the swipe and went to slash at Shada with his sword before Shada had a chance to defend himself. Seeing this, Chira lunged herself at the man blocking the attack with her own staff. Shada and Chira then joined forces to take down this gigantic enemy from both sides with punching and slashing attacks from each side circling around him not allowing the man to reciprocate with his own attacks towards them causing the man to drop his sword on the ground.

During this, the remaining thieves engaged their own fights with the other children keeping only two big thugs at the entrance to block any chance of escape. Before she knew it, Mana was surrounded by three menacing looking men. All grinned at her as she stared around nervously. All of a sudden, all three ran at her slashing with their swords. "AH!" She screamed and tightly held her staff to her heart closing her eyes. "Flight!" Her staff glowed for a moment and she was lifted into the air above the attacks. The attackers had been moving too fast to stop themselves in time as two of the thieves mistakenly plunged their swords into the other killing two of the three in an instant. Mana opened her eyes and looked down seeing the two dead on the ground and the third glaring up at her and cursing. "Eww…"

Bomani and his remaining five fighters ran towards Isis, Karim, and Prince Atem when Naru jumped right in their path. A strong look was in her eyes as the thieves skidded to a halt. "I'll take on this little girl…" A medium-sized man with long black hair walked forward to face her. Naru did not move as the man circled her while the rest of the band of thieves including Bomani looked on. The man continued to circle Naru growling in anger and frustration as he stopped behind her. "You have some nerve… face me." Naru still stood facing the other direction feeling the movements of the man behind her blocking out the sounds of everything else. "Do you think you are above me child? FACE ME! Show me the fear I know you have!" The other men laughed but Naru still would not face the man which infuriated him even more. "Very well then… you will die with your insolence…"

He ran at her with fists alone to grab at her neck and strangle her, but he moved too slowly. Naru remained still until he came close enough then elbowed him in the stomach hard knocking the wind out of him and spinning kicked him in the face knocking him out-cold. Naru finally turned to face him at last and looked down. "I was always told to face your opponent while fighting… but I'm afraid I cannot look at fools like you." She turned away from him and faced the remaining five men fiercely and immediately got back into the attacking stance.

Two other men took a step forward, but Bomani stopped them. "Wait… I'll handle this." A grin was upon his face as the two men backed down. "You four go after the two by the annoying little prince. Just remember…," He looked at his men as they glanced back, "you will leave the pleasure of murdering that miserable urchin prince of theirs to me." The four men nodded and ran past Naru and Bomani to attack Isis and Karim as both Naru and Bomani exchanged glares. "You think you children are brave don't you?" Naru and Bomani walked an invisible circle ready to attack one another at any moment.

"Bravery has nothing to do with it," Naru muttered back shaking her head.

"So tell me, child, what is it that fuels you all? How do any of you possibly think you can win this battle? You're just children."

"It matters not the size of the person but the size of the heart of each person. We are fueled by the knowledge that good will always triumph over evil like you. It is our destiny to be the bright future of Egypt."

"Ha! You make me laugh child. Good and evil are merely perceptions of each single person. Each person views the so-called good and evil very differently. It all depends on which side you take."

"You ARE evil! You murder without remorse for those that you have killed. You care only for vengeance and destruction."

Bomani smirked as he put his hands on his hips still circling with Naru. "I see it quite differently. Most people don't deserve to exist in our world. I'm merely helping along what should have been."

"No… it is you who does not deserve to exist in our world… and I will not let you continue this life."

A frown crossed Bomani's face as he began to glare at Naru. "We shall see, little girl. We shall see…" In a moment's notice, Bomani ran at Naru fists swinging. He was faster than Naru had first thought. It took a great deal of energy just blocking and dodging his powerful swings let alone attempting to retaliate. Whenever she would block a punch or swipe and attempt to attack back, Bomani was already on his next move. If she didn't move fast, this fight would be over before it even began. Naru wasn't the only one having trouble, however.

Mahado had moved onto the final two guards blocking the exit, but the numbers were getting to be too much for him. As much as Mahado would knock down one of the thugs, the other would attack him from behind. These men certainly took their job of blocking the exit very seriously.

Isis and Karim too were having issues with the numbers they were against. Karim fought three of the four men after him. He was very skilled in the arts of hand to hand combat easily taking down his first opponent with a fist to the man's face then jumping into the air kicking the thug across the face hard flinging the man against a back wall with great force causing the room to tremble slightly. Karim frowned not daring to look at the man any further sadly knowing what he had done. He had to move onto his next dangerous opponent.

Isis herself was not doing as well as Karim. She had summoned the Mystical Elf to defend the prince while one of the thugs feebly tried attacking the powerful creature while Isis faced a tall and angry man. Unfortunately for her, Isis knew that the Mystical Elf could not defend more than one person so she was on her own. This man wasted no time attempting to exploit Isis' weak defenses as he grabbed her around the throat and proceeded to choke the life out of her. She was fading fast with the Mystical Elf along with her until Karim dove in kneeing the man in the face releasing the hold on Isis. Isis fell to the ground in pain as she rubbed her neck and thanked Karim with a tiny smile. Karim returned the favor by tossing a knife to Isis to better help her defend herself and then returned to his own fight.

Despite the opposite positions, Shada and Chira too were quickly losing the upper-hand against their own thug. Between attacks from the two students, the thug had managed to dive between the two circling him. They had quickly reformed the circle to continue attacking him, but this slight alteration had given the thug the opportunity to seize his weapon from the floor and he took the opportunity with open arms.

Mana's battle also raged on. Her floating spell had worn off at the wrong moment nearly causing her to land in the arms of her enemy. "Gah!" She flailed for a moment nearly landing a few inches in front of her opponent her face staring right at his blade. She stumbled back quickly just in time as a grin appeared on his face and attempted to take advantage of the situation. He slashed at her as she quickly lifted her staff to block the blade. He continued jabbing and stabbing at her with his blade causing her to whip her staff back and forth. After a few minutes of the same attacks, Mana decided to start spinning her staff around to deflect the attacks faster. Her plan was working, but who knew how long it would last.

During all of this time, Naru's defenses were failing miserably. Bomani faked a punch to the left as Naru attempted to block before getting smacked from the right knocking her off balance and to the floor. Bomani laughed.

"Get up!" He urged her then kicked her hard in the side as she writhed in pain. An evil grin crossed Bomani's face. "What was that threat that you gave me again? Ah yes… you said that you would not let me remain living. Empty words behind such a weak child." A fire burned in Naru's eyes as she looked up at Bomani. He laughed maniacally at this. "You look angry, girly. Didn't your master teach you never to fight with anger?"

Naru jumped to her feet and flung herself at Bomani attempting to hit him in the jaw and knee him in the stomach. Bomani expected it. He caught her knee with his hand and ducked her punch. When her arm swung back he grabbed it letting go of her knee. He then proceeded to twist it behind her back then grabbed the other arm doing the same. Bomani now held both of Naru's arms twisted behind her back with a dagger to her throat an even more menacing look on his face.

Naru struggled against his hold as Bomani held the dagger even closer to her throat holding her tightly. "You spoke of how you children are destined to be the future of Egypt. Well… let us see what the future holds for us, shall we?" He forced Naru to face her friends who continued to fight their own enemies.

In pain, Naru was forced to look at Mahado first. She saw one of the men that was fighting Mahado holding him tightly in a grip while the other constantly punched at the young magician. Squinting her eyes, she saw the severe pain that Mahado was going through. With so many punches hitting Mahado's body, Naru wasn't sure how much longer he could survive.

Bomani and Naru then turned to Karim and Isis. Isis was getting in a few good stabs with her knife but it was not to last. Isis' opponent dodged a stab at his stomach and retaliated with a hard whack across Isis' face knocking her unconscious thus causing the Mystical Elf to vanish leaving the Prince defenseless. Karim, seeing what happened to Isis, attempted to run to her aid but was stopped suddenly as a lasso flew over his head catching his arms from both sides. The two thugs on the ends of each lasso tightly held Karim and proceeded to tie his arms and legs up leaving him too defenseless. Naru gasped in horror seeing all of this.

"No…" She choked out disbelieving what she was seeing.

"There's more." Bomani said with a wide grin watching every moment in delight over Naru's shoulder.

The two then turned towards Mana. The temporary success with defending herself failed quickly when the thug she was fighting unexpectedly ducked down just below the length of Mana's staff and swiped her feet out from underneath her. Once knocking her down on the ground, the man repeatedly hit her across the face and kicking her in the side.

"Stop this… Please…" Tears began to form in Naru's eyes not bearing to see the pain that her friends were going through.

Bomani merely laughed even harder seeing the tears. He ignored Naru's begs and turned to the final group. The powerful man that single-handedly faced both Chira and Shada regained the upper-hand. Shada and Chira attempted to continue circling and attacking each side of the thug, but things were different. As Chira attempted to hit the thief with her staff, the man quickly blocked with his sword and without giving Shada a chance to move in, punched at Shada in the jaw with the other hand. Shada staggered back for a moment but then moved forward once more. The man merely laughed in amusement grabbing Chira's staff with Chira attached to it and threw her at Shada knocking them both down to the floor.

The man, showing how despicable he was, unsheathed a second sword from his belt and slashed down at each of his adversaries. Shada and Chira rolled to each side to avoid most of the blow, but each now had long cuts along their legs making it virtually impossible to stand. The man continued to laugh in joy as he sheathed his swords and grabbed both Shada and Chira's wrists yanking them into the air and then throwing them hard towards a wall.

Naru's eyes widened in horror. "NO! STOP THIS!" She cried out in pain. Suddenly, a bright white light emanated from Naru's body. It was like a wave of light shot from her body blinding the entire cave. In a daze that she was receiving, Naru could hardly hear the shouts and screams of surprise coming from everyone in the room. As the light shined brighter, Naru could feel herself drifting away and then all of a sudden all was black.

A blissful feeling swept Naru for what felt like ages. She knew she was not dead, that much was for sure, but what was going on? Naru could hear voices murmuring around her but she could not decipher anything that was said. Her eyes felt so heavy and everything around her felt like it was spinning as she kept hearing the murmurs.

Around her and the other children stood Pharaoh Akunumkanon along with Priests Akunadin, Secmenton, Shimon, Atenza, Kepura, and Vazu as well as Priestesses Sehka and Illana. Just about every single one of them was talking about what had happened.

"Secmenton, you swore to me that this test was not going to be too dangerous. A few of the shadow monsters of course, but Red Eyes Black Dragon AND to add it onto there a bunch of murderous villains! What were you thinking?!" Illana growled furiously at the tall priest.

Vazu gently put his arm around his wife in attempt to calm her as Secmenton looked startled looking around at all of the unconscious children among the villainous thieves who also lay nearly lifeless. "I assure you, Illana, that I had no knowledge that this would happen. I would never put the prince or any of the children, in fact, in THAT much danger. I too agree that a test of this proportion was far too soon."

Illana looked away still angry. Several servants moved around the group moving each of the children carefully and one by one out of the cave starting with Atem. Pharaoh Akunumkanon gently placed his hand on Atem's before the prince was carried out of the room. He then turned towards his priests and priestesses looking grim.

"I daresay that this is no-one's fault and it does not help to accuse others for such a thing." He looked among each of his subjects as each gazed back at him. "It does, however, make me wonder how a group of grave robbers and thieves managed to know exactly where to be at the worst possible moment for these children. Akunadin, I trust that you will see what you can do to find out that answer from these men?"

The tall robed man wearing long tan robes and the golden Millennium Eye as his left eye nodded to the Pharaoh. "I will find the truth of this attack as much I can, my brother." A slightly cold look was in his other eye as he said this.

"Good. I am afraid that is all we can do for now. Until this investigation is completed, I must insist that ability tests such as these must be banned. We cannot afford risking such an event to occur again." Akunumkanon directed this statement to Secmenton who bowed his head slightly to the pharaoh.

"As you wish, my King. The children shall remain safe in my care."

"So let it be. Let us head back to the palace now."

Most of the priests and priestesses joined the servants in taking the children out while many guards chained up the thieves dragging them too out of the cave. Soon only Pharaoh Akunumkanon, Priest Vazu, and Priestess Illana remained in the dark cave.

"Pharaoh Akunumkanon, I…," Illana started.

Akunumkanon held up his hand to her. "I know. You were tremendously concerned for the life of your daughter as well as the other children. I completely understand that. I too was worried for the children. It is what it means to being a parent." He smiled kindly to both her and Vazu. Each nodded solemnly in return looking down at the ground. "There will be a point, however, that you will have to accept that Naru is a growing woman. She, along with all of the other children, will learn someday how to live under her own powers along with learning about how to work as a team. You each know that this training was all about."

Illana opened her mouth for a moment but then closed it knowing deep down that Akunumkanon was right. Akunumkanon then continued. "In order to learn to do this, she will need your support at every turning moment. And… perhaps… someday it would be wise to give her more of the knowledge of what she is." Both Illana and Vazu shot shocked and worried looks at Akunumkanon.

"But my king, she just isn't ready to know such information. It is too much for someone so young." Vazu protested.

"Perhaps… I merely think that it would be better that she learned the truth from the two of you instead of from other ways." He leaned down and picked up a pure white feather from the floor of where Naru was and handed it to the two. "Her powers are growing." Illana's eyes narrowed staring at the feather. "I shall return to the palace now. Think about it." He then left the two in silence starting toward the palace.

Several hours later, Bomani finally opened his eyes again. He held his head in pain as he looked around in wonder. "What happened? Where am I?" He saw cold black stones all around him forming a large circular room. Even closer around him, Bomani saw metal bars tightly around him in a box. He was in a cage in the dungeon.

"You are in the exact place that I told you that you would find yourself in should you fail…," answered a cold voice. Bomani looked over to his side to see Priest Akunadin step out from the shadows glaring at him.

"I… it wasn't my fault! I did everything you told me to do! My men and I were in the exact spot you told us to be in. We attacked that fool of a prince-"

"But you failed to kill him or any of those annoying little children!" Akunadin barked back firing a blast of energy at Bomani sending a sharp pain throughout Bomani's body. "I told you where Secmenton was holding his foolish little training battleground for the children. I told you where that pathetic urchin prince was going to be. I even provided you and your men with multiple weapons to attack and kill those little pests. All you had to do was kill a few children, but you even managed to make further bumbling fools of yourselves." A dark look was in his eyes as he held the blast of energy constantly on Bomani.

"Argh! No! It wasn't our faults! You never mentioned to me that these children had such magic!"

"You fool… they are just children and even with that, you failed. You are worthless." The energy grew stronger as Bomani screamed out in pain.

"No! Don't! I can fix this! I can finish what I started!" Bomani pleaded.

"It's too late for that…" The energy grew alarmingly strong for a moment and then all of a sudden vanished as Bomani fell to the ground dead. "Worthless fool… Now I will have to move to a different place in order to move my son first in line for the throne…"

Many days passed since the test and each of the children were recovering well; none of which received long-lasting injuries. In no time, they were back to their usual selves most leaving their rooms to go playing outside or returning to their studies. Naru, however, took slightly longer to recover. For several days Naru could hardly move feeling constantly drained and extremely tired. Her mother's excuse for the cause of it was merely that she had gone through pressure and pain lately and that she had to take it easy for a little while. Naru accepted that answer despite deep down having a hard time to do so. Something strange was going on with her, that was for sure, but it always seemed that there was something more. Something that neither her mother nor her father were willing to tell her.

Naru tried to push that thought out of her mind while she rested in bed during those days. It was actually a very relaxing feeling lying in bed all day being only able to read. Of course, she received many visits from her new friends.

"Knock, knock!" Called a familiar cute voice behind the door.

Naru looked up from her book and smiled placing her book down. "Come in." The door was opened and Mana and Chira ran in and dove onto the bed nearly tackling Naru. All three started laughing.

"I win!" Chira held her arms into the air in triumph.

"Hmph. You cheated." Mana made a face at Chira and they all laughed again.

"How are you feeling today?" Chira asked Naru.

"Much better now." Naru smiled. "I should be able to be back to class in a few more days."

Chira and Mana exchanged surprised faces. "What would you wanna do that for? Take a break!" Mana laughed. Naru giggled.

"I love sorcery class. It is really fun."

"Well… well… hmph. You're no fun." Mana winked and started jumping on the bed. Chira soon joined her.

"C'mon Naru! Join us!" Chira danced around on the bed.

"What if my mom sees it?"

"Oh pashaw. Live a little will you?!" Chira teased and helped Naru to stand on the bed and the three jumped on it for a few minutes. Their fun quickly ended when there was another knock on the door and Naru's mother called in to Naru. All three quickly plopped onto the bed like nothing happened and looked innocently at the door.

"Come in!" Naru called back as Lady Illana walked in smiling at the three pleasantly. She wore a long white dress that draped over her shoulders and was lined with a thin strip of gold. In her hands was a long black box with gold hieroglyphs on it.

"Hello girls. How are you all doing today?"

"Very well. Thank you!" Both chimed in happily and smiled.

Naru leaned up and hugged her mother who returned the hug. "Greetings mother." Her eyes traveled down to the box. "What is in the box, mother?"

Illana's eyes lit up as Naru asked. She sat down on Naru's bed looking at her. "It is a gift for you, Naru. It has been passed down from generation to generation through our family." Chira and Mana leaned in close to the box staring at it.

"Open it! Open it!" Mana begged. Illana smiled and laughed slightly at Mana then opened the box. Inside was a long gold rod slightly skinnier than the Millennium Rod. Mana stared at the rod confused. "What… is it?"

Naru's eyes widened slightly. "Is that… a flute?" Illana smiled and nodded. Naru had acquired a passion for music long ago. It always seemed so serene and beautiful to her.

Sensing Naru's desire to touch it, Illana gently pulled the gold flute from its case and placed it in Naru's hands. "Try it out, sweety." Illana winked to her. Naru brought the flute to her lips and lightly blew sending a beautiful tone through the room. She held the note for a few seconds before lowering the flute from her lips.

"Wow… that was so pretty!" Chira giggled.

Naru held the flute close to her in a hug. "Thank you so much, mother." They exchanged hugs once more.

"Take good care of it, Naru." Illana smiled and winked to all three. "I have to tend to some things. You three have fun now."

"Bye!" All three waved as Illana walked out the door shutting it behind her.

Not even a minute later, Vash and Isis ran into the room not bothering to knock. Naru, Chira, and Mana stared at both of them in confusion. "What's going on?" Mana asked them.

"The Pharaoh and his sacred court are starting a trial for someone in a few minutes!" Vash gasped out.

"Woot! These are so cool to watch!" Chira cheered. "The secret hiding spot still secure?"

"Yup." Vash winked. "How do ya think I found out?"

"Well let's go! We don't want to miss it!" Mana and Chira leapt off of the bed. "C'mon Naru!" Chira grabbed Naru's hand and helped her off of the bed as all five shot down the hall towards the throne room.

"What is the secret hiding spot?" Naru asked as they ran.

"If we told ya we would have to kill you," Vash winked. "You'll see when we get there!"

They ran down hall after hall until they reached one of the side walls to the throne room. Before them rested a large clay vase with strange carvings on it. It was one of many down the hall. Vash looked around for a moment and motioned Mana and Chira forward. Each stepped around the vase carefully and knelt down and crawled behind it vanishing.

"Alright, Naru. You next. Isis and I will be right behind her. Be careful not to run into the vase. It's the only thing blocking the secret passage." Naru nodded and stepped around the vase and knelt down. In front of her she saw a small hole positioned directly behind the vase. She crawled for it and entered the hole finding herself with Mana and Chira on one of the balconies in the long rectangular room of the throne room.

"Wow… this is awesome." Naru said out loud.

"Shh." Naru heard from Chira to her left. Chira and Mana were lying on the balcony looking down. Naru joined them followed closely by Isis and Vash.

Looking down, Naru saw the Pharaoh and the other Millennium Item wielders upon the golden platform where Pharaoh Akunumkanon sat upon his throne. She then gazed to the other side of the room seeing a young girl with long brown hair wearing a tattered white shift. The dress appeared rather short and tight fitting from what Naru saw. It almost seemed to her that the dress was made for someone younger than what the girl was. The way that the girl looked made Naru feel sorry for her. What could someone so young have done to require the Millennium Trial?

Naru lay silent watching in awe as the guards dragged the girl forward to the Pharaoh. Once about only a dozen feet away from the Pharaoh, the group stopped moving. "State your business," Naru heard the Pharaoh say to the girl.

"Bow, urchin!" said one guard pushing the girl to her knees as she glared up at him.

"Is that entirely necessary?" Naru whispered out loud. The other four just stared at her for a moment then back down to what was going on. Naru listened on.

The guard bowed to the Pharaoh. "My Pharaoh, this thief has been seen around your palace. She has been charged with defiling the ancient scrolls and books in the royal library, and of thievery in the markets."

"Is that truly enough to be brought before the sacred court?"

"Shuuuush Naru!" Chira whispered trying to hear what was going on too.

"Very well. The judgment shall commence! Priest Shimon, would you begin by looking into this child's heart?" the Pharaoh said.

Priest Shimon stepped forward holding the Millennium Key into the air. "Yes my Pharaoh. Millennium Key! Lead me into the soul of this thief!" The Key began to glow brightly and the priest closed his eyes. Naru watched as the Millennium Key began to glow brilliantly. After a few minutes, the glowing stopped and Shimon looked at the Pharaoh.

"Well?" the Pharaoh asked.

"Your majesty, in all my years in judging sinners so far, I have never seen a soul such as this. For one so small and young, her soul is a strong one." said the priest.

"And her ka?"

"That of a good spirit, my pharaoh. She is not a sinner."

"See! She is innocent!" Naru whispered loudly.

"Naru, don't make me come over there!" Vash hissed to her. Naru looked at them all apologetically and once again continued to watch.

Pharaoh looked at her then nodded. "Priest Atenza."

Priest walked forward carrying the Millennium Scale. He held it towards the girl and it too began to glow. "I am unable to measure her soul, my pharaoh. It seems it is an equal amount of evil and good."

"I sense much fear and anger in this girl's soul though...perhaps it would be wise to look into her past." Priest Akunadin suggested.

"I agree, Priest Akunadin. Priestess Sehka, use the powers of your Millennium Necklace to see inside her past please."

The priestess nodded and closed her eyes. The necklace around her neck began to glow, along with Akunadin's eye. At the same moment, both of the items stopped glowing. The priestess walked up to the Pharaoh and began to whisper in his ear. Naru stared closer intently. What was going on?

The Pharaoh's eyes widened and the priestess stepped down. "Girl, state your name." he said.

She only stayed silent. One of the guards growled and kicked her. "The Pharaoh gave you an order!" Naru growled a little at this but kept quiet.

"Stop! That is not necessary!" The Pharaoh shouted. "Leave now." The guards looked at each other, bowed then walked out, leaving the girl alone in the middle of the room. "Now please, state your name." What had Priestess Sehka told the Pharaoh? Naru was soon about to find out.

"My name...is...Juliana," she said. Naru gasped quietly. She knew that name. It was a faint memory, but for some reason that name Juliana rang throughout her ears for the longest time.

"Well, Juliana, please step forward so I can see you better," Pharaoh Akunumkanon asked the girl named Juliana.

"Pharaoh Akunumkanon! Is that a wise thing to do!" Akunadin said suddenly. The Pharaoh quickly looked at him.

"Nonsense, Akunadin. You know as well as I do now..." He looked back at Juliana. "Come."

Juliana slowly stood up and just as slowly walked forward until she was evenly placed with the priests. Naru saw her look up at the Pharaoh as he stood up and also walked forward. He stopped in front of her. He knelt down and looked straight into her eyes, smiling saying something to Juliana that Naru could not hear.

All of the priests quickly looked over, shocked, as did Juliana. Priest Akunadin ran up behind her. "My Pharaoh, I must argue this decision! She is just a commoner! To allow someone like her to live in the palace would be a disgrace!"

"What did he say to her?" The other four shrugged without an answer.

"Oh please..." Akunumkanon stood and glared at Akunadin. "And you should have better respect for the daughter of Priest Zuberi and Priestess Safiya." Naru gasped louder. Those names… her mother and father spoke of them often. This girl was the daughter of a priest and priestess of Egypt!

Naru saw the other priests' eyes widened even more. "Priest Zuberi and Priestess Safiya! This is their lost daughter!" said Priest Kepura gasped.

"Juliana…," Naru breathed quietly as a flood of memories came back to her. She remembered a beautiful looking woman with long brown hair and stunning blue eyes. It was her… Priestess Safiya and next to her a strong looking man with short brownish-blue hair… Priest Zuberi. Naru then remembered the last moment she had seen both… and their daughter.

Just as quickly as she remembered them, Naru slightly pushed them aside for the moment. She had to deal with what was happening now. Just as she did when she was an infant, Naru reached out towards Juliana. "Juliana… welcome home…"


End file.
